Forsythia

I only took a week. I could have gone back after 5 days, but since I hated my job I took two extra days off. Lol. I will say I had a really easy, pain free recovery.

You already have excess skin. It is just not loose. In my 20s I lost a bunch of weight and did not have the loose skin issue I have now. (I'm 37 now). And I've been fat most all my life. So you may bounce back. This time around, I'm not bouncing back as fast. (Also I've not had kids). So who knows. Either way, I will take my saggy ass over diabetes. I lift weights and work my muscles as much as I can. Hopefully I still have some bounce left in my skin.

Most gummy vitamins are incomplete and not recommended. I've never heard of anyone dying from them. Heck, you can die by choking on a normal Vitamin. That woman sounds like an ass.

Old Navy. Fabletics.com if you are a size 20 or smaller. Kohl's has cute work out clothes too. But most of the plus sizes are online only.

Biotene is one common brand.

I had beef pad khee mao the other day. I generally eat more beef/veggies than the noodles, then box the rest and have leftovers. Usually my human garbage disposal husband polishes them off. I will say I do not have issues with noodles/rice bread going down (but I try to avoid because carbs since I am a Type II diabetic, but in remission as my A1C is now in the normal category). I typically order enchiladas at a Mexican place. I usually don't eat the tortilla though. I am not a fan of flour tortillas (also, carbs) so I eat the meat and cheese and lettuce/tomatoes. I usually eat the refried Beans as well since they are Protein. Again I box the leftovers and eat them for dinner the next day or let my husband finish them off. For Indian, I like chicken tikka masala and sag paneer. I love nan bread too but usually there is no room for that. Vietnamese is usually really light. Lots of broths. I don't have a go to dish since I do not have a go to Vietnamese restaurant I go to often. For Chinese, I like pork or chicken dumplings. You can eat a couple and be full, while getting protein in from the meat. After that, beef and broccoli (I usually do not eat much of the rice because carbs) if sharing with my husband or whatnot.

I don't think I've turned into an asshole (well, not anymore than I usually am. LOL), but I did quit my job four months after my surgery. It made me miserable. So I put in two weeks notice and left - without another job lined up. I don't know that I would have done that if I had not had surgery. Typically I just suck it up and deal with things like that.

I was in the hospital two days. The catheter was in for most of the first day. the nurse (a hipster chick named Eunice with big glasses) removed it at night. It was kind of fascinating to realize I was peeing and not feeling it at all. LOL! After that I had to use a toilet like a normal person. But, I was able to clean up properly down there and put on underpants. I'm not into going commando. LOL!

Quest bars are delicious and nutrient wise are really quite fine. Some people feel they are too good and triggering because they totally taste like cookie dough or double chocolate brownies, but I like to throw one of these in my bag for a post workout Protein kick. They are high in Fiber though, so if you are not used to their fiber content prepare to be a bit gassy!

Can I just say that I know my program espouses low fat/fat free, but I do not count fat at all. AT ALL. You need a bit of fat for satiety. As a Type II diabetic my focus is trying to keep as low carb as possible (although now I'm oddly not sensitive to them anymore - and my A1C is 5.5%, which is totally normal. But I still focus on trying to keep under a certain amount of carbs per meal/snack). So having said that, I know if my Protein is high and carbs are low, fat is going to shake out somewhere in the middle. My personal take is that fat is not the enemy and does not cause weight gain like carbs do. Also, I don't want to start a debate or raise anyone's hackles or anything. But you can totally be really successful eating a moderate amount of fat in your diet.

I didn't like Greek yogurt at all until after my sleeve. Go figure. I like regular yogurt but rarely eat it anymore. Do you like cottage cheese? You can try that in lieu of yogurt. Still has a good amount of Protein. You can always add unflavored Protein powder to cream of mushroom or cream of chicken Soup. Just do not add it while it is super hot. It will congeal and curdle (I learned that the hard way). ICK!

Oh, that's a bummer. There isn't one in Chicago proper either, but I live near enough to suburbia to take a bus to Lincolnwood and hit the store there.

New York & Company has some talls in the stores. The Limited carries talls but I don't know if they carry them in the store or not since I do not have the statuesque frame you do.

I got so fed up with my crappy job in September. I quit it, with no job in the pipeline. I was absolutely miserable. Like, every day at 5:30 I would be sad because I knew the next day I would have to go back to that shitty hellhole. I've been temping since then. I think at 220 I'm getting more opportunities and hits than I did at 312.

I think maybe 3 months post op? I'm good with white wine and mixed drinks. I made a dinner a couple weeks ago with a red wine reduction and it immediately came back up. I think too many tannins in reds for me now. But I was never a red wine drinker anyhoo, so no terrible loss. Well except for that the dinner was delicious going down and it made me sad to regurgitate it back up. But I digress.

You could also, if you take it to go, take one of those stick blenders to it at home to make it all the same consistency.

Rather than take two multis, I take one pre-natal. They are Nature's Bounty.

The giant cup of Water they gave me in the hospital, it had a straw. I had to drink said cup of water with a straw, before I was released. I have literally been using a straw since day one. The water bottle I use daily has a straw in it. I don't have issues using one or not using one. For some people liquid goes down easier with one, for others, it's a hindrance. I honestly think this is one of those personal preference things and not a hard and fast rule that will make or break your progress. I've steadily lost weight, and my surgery was at a bariatric center of excellence, so I must be doing something correctly.

You might look into a classes if your gym offers them. Once a week I take a weight class at my gym - body works plus abs. It's a high rep, low/moderate weight class. I don't use anything heavier than 8 lbs and am sore for days because of the high reps (some of the men in the class use 10s or 12s or 15s). But at the same time, the instructor is really focusing on triceps/chest so we do a lot of push ups and I've seen a lot of strength gain in my triceps/chest because of that and one of my problem areas (triceps) have gotten tighter - and sleeves fit better now than they did a little while ago.

@@CowgirlJane Do you have a Macy's near you? You might like what they term "Impulse Contemporary", which is brands that skew older than Juniors but younger than some of the more traditional clothes. At the Flagship store here in Chicago it's great. I can slide right into that area at 37 and not feel like I'm trying too hard, but not feel like I'm dressing my mom's age. Some of the brands include Kenise, Rachel Roy, Jessica Simpson, Free People, and their house brands Maison Jules (a fave of mine) and Bar III.

I got this maidenform high waisted panty that goes up to my bra line (because my issue that bugs me is tummy roll/muffin top - even when pants fit loose I have the muffin roll). Anyhow - I got it from Target for $14. Super shaping. Really smoothes out the roll and it stays up. It was a struggle to get into that bad boy though. But shapewear isn't supposed to be easy to get into. If it is, you are buying it too big. I plan on getting another one just to have a couple to rotate. I also plan on getting one of the tank tops that allows you to wear your own bra under it for the same effect. Here is a link to the product: http://www.target.com/p/self-expressions-by-maidenform-women-s-body-con-high-waist-boyshort-assorted-colors/-/A-14654331#prodSlot=_3_5

I do what @@bikrchk does. A scoop of vanilla body fortress in my morning coffee. Gets me 30 grams without taking up too many calories. So today I had my coffee, a Greek yogurt as a snack and a weight watchers frozen meal with 18 grams of Protein for lunch. So I had my minimum of 60 grams in by lunch. dinner will add some more protein, I'm sure. Without that, I'm sure getting in 60 grams would be much harder.

The only thing that made me nauseated was the pain medications they put me on in the hospital. But I wasn't in any real pain so I didn't need the pain meds. Once I got home I did not have any issues with vomiting or nausea.

Strangely I've gone from a 44D to a 38DD. I've lost a lot of volume though. They are saggy and sad. They used to be fuller when I was a 44D!

I don't. I don't have a calcium deficiency though.